As a result of a Jan. 7 opinion from the 5th District Court of Appeal of Florida in the case of Romero v. Fields Motorcars, confusion has reigned concerning whether motor vehicle dealers and vehicle repair facilities will have vicarious liability when providing loaner vehicles to dealership and repair facility customers.

Prior to 2005, if the driver of a leased or rental vehicle or one that is a loaner from a motor vehicle dealership was reckless and caused personal injury and/or property damage while driving the vehicle, not only could the other driver or the injured person make a claim against the driver and the driver’s insurance company, but also the victim could file a claim against the lessor or owner of the vehicle under the legal theory of vicarious liability. As a result of this potential risk of exposure, in some states, such as New York and Connecticut, lessors were unwilling to enter into long-term vehicle leases. This also created uncertainty for vehicle lessors in many of the other states including Florida.

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